Jazz Experiments

For the 2018 EFG Jazz Festival’s mass-participation event, Serious have commissioned the Blues and Roots Ensemble to create a new piece for musicians of all ages and abilities, exploring ideas of collective improvisation.
The suite is based on the music of Charles Mingus, and traces jazz from its earliest dixieland origins right through to swing, bebop and Latin American styles.
Over the course of two rehearsals in the Autumn, participants will work together to practise this new suite alongside the ensemble, and will be given the opportunity to improvise in both solo and group settings. Ideas such as swing phrasing, rhythm section accompaniment and soloing will be explored, guided by specialist jazz educators from the band.
Sessions will also highlight key elements which made Mingus such an influential musician and composer including;
– Exploration of the artist’s most famous politically and socially inspired works alongside his lesser known works
– Mingus’ performance techniques, allowing participants express themselves with a strong focus on interaction on stage
These workshops will culminate in an epic live performance in Royal Festival Hall’s Clore Ballroom as part of the EFG Jazz Festival 2018.
We are delighted to host this FREE mass participation, music making project, and to do so we are looking for enthusiastic amateur musicians of all ages and abilities to apply to take part! Why not encourage the whole family to apply and join in together?
To find out more, and for details of how to apply, please click here.


More about Blues and Roots Ensemble:

Blues and Roots Ensemble is a band of 7 diverse performers hailing from countries as far afield as Sicily, South Africa, India and Cuba. Led by double bassist Ed Babar, the group aims to share the stunning music of Charles Mingus through live performances and education and outreach work. Having launched in January 2017 the band has quickly grown a reputation for its raucous and energetic performances, and creative interpretations of classic Mingus compositions, selling out venues such as The Jazz Cafe, The Vortex, The Crypt and The Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall.

Through its education work the band has spread this unique music to thousands of pupils nationwide, receiving grants for schools’ projects through Arts Council England and Cambridgeshire Music Service as well as workshops through Cambridge Jazz Festival.